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I knew these dark chocolate cupcakes with white chocolate frosting were a keeper from the first bite. These are ultra chocolatey. The chocolate cake portion is dark, rich and decadent but still fluffy. The white chocolate frosting is dense and billowy making it the perfect compliment to the chocolate base.
My niece turned 3 and I had the honor of making the birthday cupcakes. I knew they had to be something special. The birthday girl loves chocolate so these cupcakes seemed obvious.
Did you notice how I bold-faced the important words. Now you speed readers can just scan the highlighted portions and that’s all you really need to know!
Ingredients for Dark Chocolate Cupcakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour *measured correctly
1 cup granulated sugarm
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, at room temperature*
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt
1/3 cup extra light olive oil or canola oil
1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee, hot
White Chocolate Frosting Ingredients:
(Enough to very generously frost 18 cupcakes, but you can reasonably frost 32 cupcakes with this frosting):
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened at room temp
1 cups powdered sugar
4 oz white chocolate bar, melted & cooled slightly (white chocolate chips work equally well)
1.5 cups cold heavy whipping cream
Chocolate shavings or sprinkles, optional for garnish
How to Make Chocolate Cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line muffin pan(s) with 18 liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 2/3 cup cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt.
3. In the bowl of your stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat together: 1 egg, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 2 Tbsp Greek yogurt, 1/3 cup oil, and 1/2 Tbsp vanilla for 1 minute on med/high speed or until well blended.
4. With mixer on low, slowly add dry ingredients into wet ingredients until no clumps of flour remain. You’ll be really tempted to eat the batter.
5. Whisk in coffee and continue mixing until combined.
6. Divide batter equally between 18 prepared cupcake liners. Filling about 1/2 full. Bake 18-20 mins or until tops are set and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before removing from cupcake pan then cool completely to room temp before applying frosting.
How to Make White Chocolate Frosting: Frosting How-To:
1. Beat together 8 oz pkg cream cheese with 1 cup powdered sugar (starting on low so you aren’t covered in a cloud of powdered sugar, and beating until well blended and creamy (make sure no clumps of cream cheese remain or it will be difficult to pipe the frosting when done.
2. Melt 4 oz white chocolate bar according to package instructions on the stove or in the microwave just until melted when you stir it (don’t overheat chocolate in the microwave or it will turn crumbly). Once chocolate is no longer hot but still liquid, blend it into your cream cheese mixture on high speed until well incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl, beat 1.5 cups cold heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form (about 1 min on high speed). Don’t over-beat cream or it will turn buttery and will be difficult to blend. Fold whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until well incorporated and smooth.
Assembling Dark Chocolate Cupcakes:
1. Once cupcakes are cooled to room temp, pipe or spread frosting over cupcakes, sprinkle with shaved chocolate and serve. I used the Wilton 2D closed flower tip to decorate, but in hindsight, the Wilton 1M would have been easier to pipe this frosting on. It’s dense and fluffy and would have flowed easier out of a 1M.
Credits: Cake base adapted from Half-Baked Harvest‘s cake. Frosting recipe & decor: my own).
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
Ingredients for Chocolate Cupcakes:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, at room temperature*
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup extra light olive oil or canola oil
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee, hot
White Chocolate Frosting Ingredients (generously frosts 18 cupcakes, but can reasonably frost 32 cupcakes):
- 1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened at room temp
- 1 cups powdered sugar
- 4 oz white chocolate bar, melted & cooled slightly (white chocolate chips work equally well)
- 1.5 cups cold heavy whipping cream
- Chocolate shavings or sprinkles, optional for garnish
Instructions
How to Make Chocolate Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line muffin pan(s) with 18 liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 2/3 cup cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat together: 1 egg, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 2 Tbsp Greek yogurt, 1/3 cup oil, and 1/2 Tbsp vanilla for 1 minute on med/high speed or until well blended.
- With mixer on low, slowly add dry ingredients into wet ingredients until no clumps of flour remain. You'll be really tempted to eat the batter.
- Whisk in coffee and continue mixing until combined.
- Divide batter equally between 18 prepared cupcake liners. Filling about 1/2 full. Bake 18-20 mins or until tops are set and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before removing from cupcake pan then cool completely to room temp before applying frosting.
How to Make White Chocolate Frosting:
- Beat together 8 oz pkg cream cheese with 1 cup powdered sugar (starting on low so you aren't covered in a cloud of powdered sugar, and beating until well blended and creamy (make sure no clumps of cream cheese remain or it will be difficult to pipe the frosting when done.
- Melt 4 oz white chocolate bar according to package instructions on the stove or in the microwave just until melted when you stir it (don't overheat chocolate in the microwave or it will turn crumbly). Once chocolate is no longer hot but still liquid, blend it into your cream cheese mixture on high speed until well incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, beat 1.5 cups cold heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form (about 1 min on high speed). Don't over-beat cream or it will turn buttery and will be difficult to blend. Fold whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until well incorporated and smooth.
Assembling Cupcakes:
- Once cupcakes are cooled to room temp, pipe or spread frosting over cupcakes, sprinkle with shaved chocolate and serve. I used the Wilton 2D closed flower tip to decorate, but in hindsight, the Wilton 1M would have been easier to pipe this frosting on. It's dense and fluffy and would have flowed easier out of a 1M.
Here’s yet another decorating idea:
I only wish I had taken a picture of the inside for y’all. These were so so good! Summer is right around the corner and around here, summer = parties! Are you planning any shindigs? Can I come? (I’ll just leave you with that shameless, awkward question).
Have an amazing weekend peeps! I promised you a great recipe when I got off work so here ya go! I worked a 12 today. It was a LONG one and my keyboard looks like a good pillow right now.
I have made this cupcake recipe so many times, I’ve lost count. I doubled the recipe and made a 9x13x3 cake and the cake was just as incredible. Moist, chocolate-T, and delicious!
Hi Natasha, how are you? I want to ask can I use low-fat buttermilk or it has to be whole buttermilk because I am not able to find the whole buttermilk! Can you help me out please and thank you! I am interested in baking this chocolate cupcakes.
Hi MM! That will still work. I hope you love the recipe!
I kinda regret making these because now my family won’t stop nagging me to make more. They are perfect. Probably the best and most stable frosting I’ve worked with that is not buttercream. I strongly dislike buttercream, so this will be my go to for cupcake frosting! Thanks Natasha for this wonderful recipe!
Hi Dina! You’re very welcome. I’m so glad you loved the recipe!
Hi Natasha. Love your receipes. I have a question on the cream cheese and heavy cream frosting, how long does it last? How long can it stay out the refrigerator? Thanks
Hi Desiree. It should stay refrigerated and only kept out a maximum of 2hrs at room temperature. This frosting is best enjoyed with a few days.
How would I make this a vanilla cupcake? This recipe is to die for! Your vanilla recipe is good but this texture is so much more fluffy and not dense at all. I’ve tried a couple of swaps but it’s changes the texture 😅 not sure how to keep it the same
Hi! I haven’t tested this in a vanilla version. You may try to research online best ways to change a chocolate cake recipe to vanilla.
Hi,
Can I make the frosting with mascarpone instead of cream cheese? If yes, is it 1:1 replacement?
Hi Dina! I haven’t tested that to advise. Please let us know if you experiment.
I have made these like 5 times and WOW every time. So moist, and the frosting is so airy and delicious! Highly recommend! Always a hit at parties and just whenever I need a chocolate fix 😀
Hi Alina! That’s wonderful. I’m so glad you love the recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Hello Natasha! I’m a fan of your recipes and subscriber to your YouTube channel! I have a tip for those who experience loose buttercream frosting: add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch for every three cups of powdered sugar! I’ve tried it and out works brilliantly!! Happy baking everyone!
Hi Beverly! Thank you for sharing that with us! 🙂
The cupcakes are moist, delicious and chocolate-T. I have yet to master the frosting though. The cold cream always causes the white chocolate to harden and I have bits of hard chocolate throughout. Can you tell me how to eliminate this? The flavor of the frosting is great but the end result leaves much to be desired.
Hi Maria, make sure the chocolate is no longer hot but still in a liquid/smooth state. Also, you may try mixing on low until it’s incorporated, if your chocolate is hitting the side of the cold bowl, it will harden, and when scrapped, it will create chunks in the frosting. I hope that helps.
Love your recipes.
For this recipe can I not use the coffee.
Thank you
Hi Bebi! I think you could use hot water in its place but I haven’t tested it. I like adding coffee to chocolate cupcakes because it really amplifies the chocolatey flavor without really tasting the coffee.
I love these cupcakes!!!
Do you think I can substitute white chocolate for milk chocolate?
Hi Svety! You may check out this recipe instead for chocolate-cream-cheese-frosting.
can you freeze and thaw for use ? we have a mountain venue and have to assemble cake that day quickly after leaving from rental 45 min earlier.
Hi Sandy, this frosting can be piped onto the cupcakes and refrigerated ahead of time. I haven’t tested freezing but I think it could work.
These are my favorite cupcakes so far!! Thanks so much for another great recipe. I am wondering — do you think it would be okay to make batter a day ahead and store in fridge? Also, would the frosting keep well in the fridge?
Hi Ioana! I have not tested this to advise what the outcome would be. You’d have to experiment with it.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe am gonna use it for my kid’s bday cake.
I have jus 1 question: how long can I have this frosting in the fridge?. If I made to make the frosting a day before… how can I use it the next day????
Hi Carolina, I have found that it is the easiest to pipe on when you use it after making it. You can pipe it onto your cake or cupcakes and then refrigerate and it keeps refrigerated really well for several days.
Made these with my 9yo grandson and 6 yo granddaughter as sous chefs. We had a great time, and results were perfect!
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Bill! I love that you made this with your grandchildren!
Do these have to go in the refrigerator or are they ok to leave out til tonight?
Hi Judy, It can stay out of the fridge for a few hours at room temperature. You won’t want to keep it out longer than that since there is dairy in the frosting.
Would this receipt work as a 2 layer cake instead both 9-inch pans?
Hi Cecilia, I haven’t tested it in a cake pan, but I would probably start with 1 1/2 times the recipe for a 2-layer 9″ cake. If you try it as a cake, let me know how you liked it! The bake time will probably be longer baking as a cake. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
My first attempt at cupcakes and homemade icing they taste amazing but they look like a 7 yr old made them. But hey this was an easy recipe to follow for a beginner and will definitely use more of your recipes to grow my baking skills!!! Thank you so much
I’m so glad you gave them a try, Anya! Thank you for sharing your great review with me!
DO NOT EAT THIS BATTER. if you do, you will have no cupcakes to bake. Beyond yummy is this recipe. I 2as hesitant to fill my cupcake liners more than 1/2 way but I am glad I didn’t. The cupcakes filled up to the top. Perfect for frosting! These are most and light. Deliciously chocolate. I haven’t made the frosting yet but will do so shortly and comment on that as well. I’m starting to think every recipe at Natasha’s Kitchen is a 5-star keeper. Thank you Natasha.
I’m so glad this is a keeper, Maria!! Thank you so much for sharing this excellent review with me!
Thanks for your awesome feedback, Maria. I’m glad you really enjoyed it!
I’m in love with these!
They were so easy to make and so delicious!
I made these for a drive by wedding shower this past weekend and they were a hit. Will definitely be making again.
A drive-up wedding shower sounds so fun! I’m so glad they were a hit!